Beautiful
by Sulfur Dusk
Summary: Raven is not considered beautiful, but Beast Boy thinks she's stunning.


**Beautiful**

* * *

_Raven is beautiful._

Just saying these words make me sound insane. To be honest with myself, the word "beautiful" is usually associated with trivial things that people discard every day, like flowers or clothes, or with objects or people that stick with them for a lifetime. And that's fine. I think everyone has a different definition of the word, but this is only one statement I've made about Raven that I'm sure she would argue with me about, and I would come out on top. Because even if she disagreed with me, she could never change my mind.

Sure, a lot of people wouldn't consider Raven to be beautiful at all. In fact, I've heard and even thought of the same things they have: she maintains a gothic appeal, she wears dark colors, and she constantly broods and keeps to herself. Yeah, all of those things are true. And I'm not going to deny that I used to think of those things, put her in categories that stereotyped her and made our friendship more distant than it had to be.

But ever since... well, actually getting to _know_ her, Raven has showed, well, not showed… _emitted _something that stood out above the rest. She's confident and brash, and our arguments and general time together only lets that fire loose.

She is always alive, despite what others think. She yells and laughs and has emotions just like the rest of us, but she chooses when to reveal those sides to her. To her, they were sensitive pieces to her puzzle; invisible, non-touchable, unnoticeable fragments that she challenges anyone to put together. She is so complex and mysterious, and that was what makes her intriguing.

She makes me think, and forces me to challenge myself. She understands what it's like to be the black sheep, to have to stand out and embrace the consequences.

Raven is intelligent and anyone with brains could see that—even then, it's hard not to expect her to slink into the shadows and pretend that nothing else exists. I feared her at one point in my life. I was always loud to her and annoying, and in her words, "obnoxious to an abominable level". Heh. Well, it's still always a challenge to make Raven smile—over a thousand jokes just wouldn't be enough.

I think… really, what makes Raven so beautiful is not for her appearance, which, for the record, is underrated on its own. Sure, she's not one of the glamorous, tall and curvaceous women that flash their figures on TV. No, she's too… she's too respectful of her body to do that sort of thing. She's a private, quiet person, and she's pure beyond all recognition. Many would say I was crazy to say something so convoluted about a pale-skinned, purple-haired woman from a different dimension—the daughter of Trigon. She considers herself demon-spawn, but everyone close to her knows better. _I_ know better, as do the rest of the Titans, and it infuriates us when she berates herself.

To me, Raven's origins do not matter. She blames herself to keep the effects of her existence from weighing the rest of us down. But really, Raven makes us stronger—the Teen Titans would be nothing without her.

I will not lie and say I don't stare at her when she's not looking, or admire the grace of her when she takes flight or how flawless her ivory skin is, or even how her unique, shimmering hair looks so soft and I always have to restrain myself from running my fingers through those locks… And those eyes always tell me a story. They glare, they glower, and they tell a million different tales in the forms of pools of violet.

She only allows certain people to tread so deeply, and I guess I should be honored that those eyes have turned so soft when she addresses me now. She talks to me more, listens more, embraces what I have to say. It's nice to be close to someone like to her, and to have her share a piece of herself with me.

Raven is so different, and intelligent, and dark and seductive. She's the opposite of light and sunshine, but she embraces the beauty of the dark and, until meeting her, I had no idea that was possible. She blends so well with the darkness, and yet, she always surprises us—surprises _me_—with how she accustoms to mannerisms of the lighter side of life. It sounds strange to associate Raven with the word "light", but that stereotype is dropped in my book. She's always avoiding the deception of light and how others have to hide behind it, but Raven doesn't hide in the light. She breaks the barriers and creates her own image, and she doesn't care what everyone else will think of it.

Well… sometimes. I _do _get angry with her, but rarely about the things we fought over before. It used to be about just how awful of a cook she was or how I needed to shut up and stop annoying her with my jokes, and other clichés that run in the Tower.

I get angry now, after so many years of knowing her, when she degrades herself. It's those rare moments of when she listens to what someone else says and believes it—it's very rare, and anyone can see it.

It's always comparing with Raven. She _always _has to bring up how she pales in the shadow of… _other girls_. That's mainly just the media's fault. I never paid attention when I was younger but there was a lot of attention around our team and how we had one particular member that outshined everyone else in terms of looks.

The paparazzi and fans always (and I do mean _always_) clamor, risking life and limb, just to get a _glimpse _of Starfire. Not Raven—not the dark, quiet, sultry woman that I have come to appreciate and love so much, but Starfire. Starfire's my friend and I'm not going to disregard her, but she's part of the main issue with Raven's lack of confidence in her appearance. Normally I wouldn't care so much, but the comparisons between the two of them, just because they're both friends and members of the Teen Titans makes it frustrating.

But no matter what the comparisons, I will always see Raven as the most beautiful. She's a mistress of shadows and a person that I still don't know entirely, despite the growing love I have for her. Does she even know about my affections?

The more I ask myself that question, I always get the same answer: _most likely_.

I mean; I know that I'm not that obvious. She knows that I think she's beautiful—no, not just attractive, but the most intriguing, amazing person on the face of the planet. It's been years, and I have learned to love her for who she is and I think that I've finally come to accept that.

But then again, is she ready to accept whatever she thinks? Although I've learned to read Raven on a better level, she's still hard to perceive. I will have to remain patient until she's ready to tell me exactly what she'll want to tell me. I'll be patient with her, and try not to irritate her along the way (even if that may be impossible).

Despite what the outcome will be, she will always remain the same to me. She's a ghost on the battlefield, and a force to be reckoned with, and nothing can stop her when she sets her mind on a proper path. I've known her too long to lose faith in her now, but no one could convince me what kind of a person she was inside and out. She is loyal, trustworthy, quiet but smart, and with that she is positively stunning.

Raven is beautiful; she is, always has been, and always will be.


End file.
